It's a wonderful life
by jwg676
Summary: Naruto is in love with Ino and Sakura... what's a guy to do when polygamy is illegal in Konoha?


**Title:** It's a wonderful life

**Rating:** Romance, comedy

**Pairing / Characters: **Haruno Sakura / Uzumaki Naruto / Yamanaka Ino

**Word Count: **2, 258 words

**Warnings: **Nothing really

**Summary: **Naruto is in love with both ino and Sakura, who are both in love with him…

**A/N: **This was a request by FULLMETAL INUYASHA54, who asked for Naruto / Sakura / Ino. I hope this is to your liking…

FOR FULLMETAL INUYASHA54…

_Perhaps it was over before it began, Naruto mused. Perhaps team mates is all we were ever meant to be. Ah well, I can't say I'm surprised – I knew she loved Sasuke, she always has. Now it's my turn to move on…_

Whistling cheerfully, Naruto carefully straightened the bunch of flowers he was holding, and knocked on Ino's door.

He was early for a change, neatly dressed in a dark t shirt and pants instead of his usual orange jumpsuit, and when the door swung open, a smile graced his face.

'Ino! You look really nice,' he said, holding out the flowers. 'These are for you.'

Ino, who wore a pale yellow dress, her hair loose around her shoulders, went pink.

'Thank you – er… do you want to come in while I put these in water?'

'Sure,' Naruto told her and grinning, followed her inside the small apartment.

Ino arranged the flowers hastily, putting it on a table before picking up a cloak and her keys. Before she could put the cloak on, Naruto had taken it from her and draped it over her shoulders before holding the door open for her. Ino reddened further, and locked the door before taking his proffered arm and stepping out into the twilit evening.

'Naruto… thanks for offering to take me out,' she said softly.

Naruto smiled. 'It's my pleasure, Ino. Who would have believed this would even have been possible? We hated each other so much back then.'

'You were an idiot,' Ino said affectionately. 'But weren't we all?'

'Some more than others,' Naruto remembered, and they both laughed.

Sakura paced her room restlessly, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. She had been working late more and more often, helping Tsunade-sama out at the hospital, and now, on the first free evening she'd had in weeks, she wanted to scream.

She didn't think she had ever been so lonely before.

Sliding the door open, Sakura stepped out onto the small balcony and leaned against the railing wearily, seeing Naruto's face reflected in the sunset.

'Odd,' she murmured aloud. 'Why am I thinking of him again? We've barely spoken to each other in the last month or so – he's always been away on missions, so why is he on my mind now?'

Laughter drifted up from the streets below, and Sakura glanced down to see two people walking together arm in arm.

They were talking softly, her head close to his, and Sakura felt like she had been punched in the stomach when she recognized the two people – her team mate and her best friend.

Clapping a hand across her mouth to stop herself from crying out, Sakura watched as Naruto steered Ino past a puddle of water on the floor, gesturing to several passersby as he did. Ino reached for his hand, and Sakura's eyes filled with tears.

She was too late.

'I should have told him,' Sakura whispered aloud. 'All this time, when I thought it was Sasuke-kun I loved, it was Naruto and I never realized it… and now I've lost whatever chance I might have had with him…'

Sobs catching in her throat, Sakura fled for the safety of her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

She didn't know what to feel – anger, that Ino had him and she didn't, hurt, because he had chosen someone else over her, and in her pain, she picked up a glass and threw it across the room, watching in satisfaction as it hit the wall and shattered.

Ino waved as Naruto walked off, hands in his pockets. Her blue eyes were bright with happiness, and as she closed the door, she didn't think she'd ever felt happier. Humming softly, Ino hung up her cloak and walked into her bedroom, flopping down on the bed.

'I think I'm in love,' she told the ceiling, and laughed aloud at her silliness.

'Oh Chouji… I really think I'm in love…'

Ino closed her eyes, remembering the conversation she and Chouji had had last.

'_I love you, Chouji.'_

_An incredulous expression. 'You love me? Since when?'_

'_I have for a long time, but I could never find the words to tell you. You're so special to me…'_

'_Ino – you may love me, but I've found someone else – and we're going to get married soon.'_

'_M- married? Wait, you had a fiancée and you never told anyone?'_

'_Well, the time never seemed right…'_

Ino clasped her pillow to her chest. 'I'm happy too, now, Chouji,' she whispered softly.

_Two weeks later:_

'Naruto, I've been looking for you.'

Naruto turned to see the Fifth walking towards him, and he smiled up at her. 'What's the matter, Tsunade no baachan?'

'You haven't seen Sakura lately, have you?' Tsunade asked quietly.

Naruto's smile faded. 'I went to see her the other day but she chased me away,' he revealed. 'I've been on two missions since then, so no, I haven't. is something wrong?'

'She's in hospital,' Tsunade told him.

Naruto's jaw dropped. 'W – what for? When? Why?'

'Naruto, calm down,' Tsunade told him. 'When she never answered my summons this morning, I went looking for her and found her unconscious in her apartment. Naruto – she hasn't been eating. She's lost so much weight in the last two weeks that I'm surprised she's still with us. Would you come and see her? I think she could use a friend.'

Naruto nodded. 'Of course, I'll come.'

Sakura stared blankly out of the window.

Only minutes ago, Shizune had tried to persuade her to eat, but Sakura hadn't wanted to hear it. The only thing she wanted was to be left alone – but when the door slid open, Sakura knew she wasn't going to get her wish.

However, the person who entered the room was the last person she expected to see – Naruto, carrying a large tray.

Sakura blinked at him. 'Naruto? Wh – what are you doing here?'

Naruto laid the tray on the table beside her bed and helped her into a sitting position.

'Checking up on you,' he said with a sigh. 'Sakura- have you lost your mind? Why the hell aren't you eating?'

Sakura felt her eyes fill with tears as he said 'you're a medic nin, you should know better!'

'You wouldn't understand, Naruto,' she whispered, twisting her hands together. 'You wouldn't know…'

'Try me.' Naruto sank down on the edge of the bed and handed her a piece of toast.

'Eat.'

Sakura took the proffered toast and took a tiny bite from the corner, and then a larger one. Naruto didn't say anything, but handed her a second piece and a third before giving her a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Sakura was startled to find that she was beginning to feel better, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the food, or Naruto's presence.

'Now, tell me what's going on. Is it because of that bastard Sasuke, because I'll beat him to a bloody pulp –'

'It's not Sasuke-kun. It's you and – and Ino.'

Naruto blinked. 'You're starving yourself because of Ino?'

'Something like that,' Sakura told him, looking away.

'Why the hell would you do that? She'd kill you if she knew!'

'Because I – I love you.'

Naruto's jaw dropped. 'You – love me?' he asked weakly.

Sakura nodded. 'That's why I didn't want to see you – or see Ino – I know she loves you and you seem happy with her and I didn't want to interfere even though it made me so unhappy to see you together…'

Naruto buried his head in his hands. 'This is a mess,' he said with a sigh. 'How did I get myself into these situations, I ask you with tears in my eyes?'

Sakura's head shot up. 'What situations?'

'I think I still kind of love you,' he admitted, 'but I also think I kind of love Ino. This is – wait, I have an idea. Don't go anywhere,' he called, hurrying out of the room.

Ten minutes later, he returned, dragging Ino with him. 'Right, you two, listen up. I like you both very much, and I think it might be more than love, so I want the two of you to decide what you want to do because I don't want to see either of you destroy yourselves over me, or ruin your friendship. I'll be back later to hear what you've decided.'

So saying, Naruto marched out of the room and left them to it.

Ino stared out of the window, and then at Sakura.

'I love him, Sakura.'

'I love him too, Ino. What are we going to do about it?'

Ino grinned suddenly. 'Well, we could always share him.'

Sakura's lips twitched. 'I guess we could – but everyone knows I'm the better kisser.'

Ino's face flamed. 'You? Listen carefully, wide-forehead girl, I'm the better kisser.'

Sakura's eyes gleamed. 'Don't tell me you're feeling threatened, Ino-pig.'

'SAKURA!!!!!!!'

Naruto slid the door open to find the two girls sitting on the bed, talking casually.

'Well?' he asked.

'We came to a decision, Naruto,' Ino told him. 'We'll share you.'

Naruto looked flummoxed. 'Share? As in all three of us on dates?'

'Something like that, Sakura answered. 'Is that ok?'

'It's better than I expected,' Naruto admitted. 'Well, I guess all we can do is try it.'

He tightened his hitae-ate, missing the determined, competitive glances Sakura and Ino exchanged.

'My ramen is better than yours.'

'No, mine is. Naruto already tried it before, and he said he loved it,' Ino said smugly.

'Well, Ino-pig, that's why mine will be better, because you always taste the worst before you try the best,' Sakura said triumphantly, and sparks flew.

Ino's eyes narrowed dangerously, her grip tightening on the bowl she held.

For a moment, there was a lethal, charged silence, until it was broken by a voice. 'Sakura? Ino?'

'We're in here,' the two of them called in unison.

Naruto shrugged off his jacket, walking into the kitchen and wrinkling his nose in pleasure. 'Something smells good. What's for dinner?'

'Ramen,' Ino told him sweetly. 'Is that ok? We each made a course for you.'

Naruto kissed her cheek, and then Sakura's. 'It's fine. Are you eating this time, Ino?'

Ino blushed. 'Yes.'

'Good.' Naruto sat down at the table, watching as Ino and Sakura served the food, still trying to get used to the idea of having them both around. As he ate, they talked about their day, about whatever it was that they had done, and asked about his training session with Jiraiya. Naruto answered all their questions, bewildered by the sheer domesticity of the scene.

As Ino cleared the table and Sakura washed the dishes, Naruto missed the whispered exchange between the two of them.

'My kisses are better than yours.'

'In your dreams, wide-forehead girl.'

'Get lost, Ino-pig.'

'Sakura…'

The makings of a violent exchange was interrupted when Naruto reached for a dish cloth and began to dry the dishes as Sakura washed them. The gleam in his eye suggested that he had heard some of the exchange, although neither of the girls could prove it. Ino and Sakura exchanged panicked glances at the thought of Naruto finding out about their competition, and for the remainder of the evening, both were unusually nice to each other.

Naruto's amusement deepened when Ino offered to walk Sakura home so that he didn't have to.

'You wanted to see me, Tsunade no baachan?'

Tsunade steepled her hands together. 'Naruto, are you aware that polygamy is illegal in Konoha?'

Naruto sighed. 'I knew this would happen,' he muttered. 'This is about Ino and Sakura, right?'

'I'm afraid so,' Tsunade replied. 'Honestly, I'm amazed you managed to keep it all together for so long, especially considering your choice of… partners.'

Naruto looked despairing. 'What the hell else am I supposed to do, Tsunade no baachan? I think I'm in love with them both, and I really am happy with them. I wouldn't know who to choose even if you told me to!'

Tsunade smiled suddenly. 'Naruto… polygamy _is _illegal in Konoha – except for certain clans on the verge of extinction, or certain main clans, like the Hyuuga clan. In order to keep these clans from dying out, there is a law that allows the head family member to take more than one wife. Do you see what I'm getting at?'

Naruto looked startled. 'It can't be that easy.'

'It is. You don't even have a clan, if you die then the Uzumaki clan will be no more. If you like, I could authorize it myself.'

'Would you? Would you? _Would you???'_

'Of course I would,' Tsunade said laughingly. 'Go on, brat, get out of my office.'

Beaming, Naruto went.

'Naruto? Where have you been all day?'

Naruto beamed at Ino and Sakura. 'I had a meeting with Tsunade no baachan this morning. She knows about us, she knows everything.'

Sakura blanched. 'What did she say?'

Naruto's grin grew wider. 'That polygamy is illegal in Konoha.'

'If it's illegal, why are you smiling?' Ino demanded.

'Well, it's only legal if your clan is on the verge of dying out,' Naruto answered, his eyes bright with laughter. 'We er… came up with a solution.'

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances.

'What solution would that be?'

In answer, Naruto dropped to one knee, pulling from his pocket two small, velvet boxes.

'Yamanaka Ino… Haruno Sakura… will you both do me the honour of marrying me?'


End file.
